Miami Film Festival is proud to present Sound of Metal star Riz Ahmed with our inaugural Impact Award, to honor his incisive, brilliant performance in our GEMS Audience Award-winning film and what it has meant for the Recovery community within the Deaf community, which is often invisible in our society. (Miami Film Festival)
With the festival being virtual, I was able to make time to watch this 30 minute presentation. They awarded Riz Ahmed with this Impact Award. Him getting this, is very well deserved. This award is in correlation with the work he did with the movie Sound of Metal. I have to say that Sound of Metal is indeed an incredible movie that had a impact on myself as well as countless others. The performance that Riz delivers is unmatched in-regards of all the other movies released last year, in my opinion. He truly is my standout for this award season and this presentation verified my thoughts. He gives a breathtaking performance that looks effortlessly done. You do not see him in this movie, but a real person going through some hardship.
The Impact award is given to a person who was able to give a performance so great, that it left an impact on the viewer. During this presentation they showed a clip from the movie where his character has to go on a journey on his own, saying goodbye to his girlfriend. Sound of Metal is about a heavy-metal drummer who is on tour, who quickly loses his ability to hear and risks becoming deaf. In this clip we see the frustration, fear and anger shine through the characters body movement, reaction and emotion. We as the audience can get an understanding of what he may be going through at that moment. This movie highlights the importance of support and community as well. A topic that is very needed. Through his character's journey we are with presented with elements of grief, depression, loneliness and so much more. To say that his performance gave such a great impact, is a valid statement to the highest regards.
Riz Ahmed has been an amazing actor for a very long time. He has dove into many different roles and continues to surpass people's expectations. From Indies like Sound of Metal to Blockbusters such as Venom, there is truly nothing this man can't do. This celebration was well needed. It was intriguing to hear him speak about having family and friends in Miami. He also stated that this was the first place he went and visited when he came to the United States. On another topic, I found it quite funny that he said that the Uk, where he is from, hasn't released Sound of Metal yet. It just makes this award that much more amazing, because his friends and family back in the UK, haven't been able to watch it just yet.
Overall this presentation was a great way to kick start the Miami Film Festival for me. Hearing one of my all time favorite actors talk about his journey and his love for film, brought me so much joy. Riz has been nominated for multiple awards this year and that's great on by itself. Riz is still very young in the "Hollywood" world and he will continue to make great strides in the film industry. This is a name to not forget and to honesty keep an eye out for. Truly a pleasure to watch this interview happen at this film festival. Make sure to click on the category "Miami Film Festival) for more coverage.
